Electrically-heated apparatus for moistening shoes.



W. W.,-REED.

ELCTRICALLY HEATED APPARATUS FOR MOISTE NING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG..I9, 1915.

1,294,533; Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

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' "Specification of Letters Patent. Paitenteflffifgb iflg 1939),. 'ApplicationfiledAugust19,1915. Seria1No.46,286.

1.1'0 albwkom itmayyconcem: generated from said water is tempered and as 1 Beitnknownthat I, WALTER W. REED, a diflused around the part'of the shoe tobe c; .=citizen1 of-;the United States, residing at treated. --lttockland, in theicounty of Plymouth and A further feature of myinvention com- 5 Statesof 'Mass'achusetts, have invented cerprises a substantially open compartment for tain Imprdvements in Electrically-Heated receiving portionsof shoes for treatment and .f I Apparatus forMoistening Shoes, of which means for supplyingsteam .to sa'id oompa'rtgthe-fo'llowing' description,in connection with ment, whereby the surplus-steam is allowed {the-accompanying drawings, is. a specifica 'to difiuse into the airinstead of remaining" 10 tion, like; reference characters .011 the. drawin contact with the shoes. rings indicating like parts in the several fig- Other features ofnmy' invention, compris- Iuress; 3-: --1ng certain arrangements and combinations .This' inventionrelates to apparatus used of Pa t Will be described in the specificain the manufacture of boots and shoes, and .tion and pointed out in the claims. 15. particularly to apparatus for moistening The drawing shows a preferred embodishoesJ 'ment of my invention in an apparatus for :Ithas'ben fbundthat muchof the cracksoftening the toes of shoes.

ingandbreakingaofshoes which has been in- The casing or tank 1 containswater, and cident to the 1 sting operation can beavoida passage 2 leads from the bottom of the a 20 'edzby prelimin rilytreating with hotovapor tank to a reservoir 3 which is kept full ofl those portions of; the; shoes which are to'be water-by the barometric feeding device 4. '75

sharply. bent during the lasting operation. The Water in the tank 1 is thus kept at con- Considerable .dilficulty, however, has been stant level. Just below this-level, in the experienced-in regulating and maintaining tank 1, is a gratmg orsupport,5, above 25;.constant the-temperature of the. vapor which which is placed a pad of felt 6. T hispad is applied to thejsh'oes ,Too' high temis recessed as at 7, to receivethe toe o1? a to perature will cause the'leather to shrivel up pulledover shoe 8. V h v and f.burn,liwhiletoo low a temperature Th'e tank 1 has a recess 9 ex tendingdi will not soften t e'leather suificiently to rectly into the water chamber, inwhich is 180 efiect successful lasting. I have found that mounted an IGlGClII'lO heating unit. 10. The

a constant temperature and uniform amount apparatus is substantially open at the top, of moisture is insured if the water from above thepad 6', but inasmuch as these dewhich the vapor is generated be maintained vices are generally used near an open wininthe apparatus in a, constant volume, the dow, it has been found advisable to provide heat supplied uniformly to it, and the vapor a shield 11, to protect the pad -6 and "the applied directly to the work without opporshoes from drafts. tunity for variation in pressure. It isac- The tank 1, having an unvarying quan- 'cordingly an object of the present invention tity of water in it, is heated by the unit 10, to provide a softening apparatus for boots lwhich, under commercially obtainable conv 40 and shoes which shall possess the advantages stant voltage,- generates heat at a uniform 7. above discussed and others which will be rate, The result is a substantially uniform hereinafter set forth. generation of steam in the tank 1. The A. feature of my invention comprisesa steam. rises througlnthe pad 6 and is cooled ompartment for the reception of portions of or tempered thereby. It diffuses through as shoes, in communicationwith a chamber the pad which directs it evenly upon the containing water maintained automatically portions of the shoe which it is desired to 1 ata constant level, and an electric-heating treat. The shoes are inserted. asshown in unit arranged to heat the water. the drawing, the recesses 7 being so short Another feature of my invention com.- as to prevent wetting and consequent rotting 5 0 prises a layer of absorbent material in conof the tip seam. The uniform feed of temtact with theupper surface of a body of pered steam when once adjusted by a rheol t water heated by an electric unit and autostat in connection with the unit 10, insures matic means for maintaining said upper surthe desired softening without burning, of 'face at a constant level, whereby the vapor the materials at the toes of the shoes.

It is desirable to keep the insoles l3'from getting Wet, since this softens and shrinks them and interferes with the proper performance of later operations mvolvmgthem. I accomplish this result by leaving the toe receiving compartment substantially open, so that steam which rises from the felt 6 will be immediately taken up and dissipated by the air. The steam is permitted to rise directly and-to pass off without pass-- laden atmosphere over the insoles, from which it is necessary to protect them. The shield 11 is merely for the purpose of deflecting strong currents of cold air, which would interfere with the softening operation.

Having described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. A chamber for containing a quantity of water, an electric heating unit disposed in thermal communication with said chamber, means for automatically maintaining said quantity of Water constant, and a compartment for the reception of shoes communi'cating with said chamber.

2. A water. chamber, a barometric feeding means in communication with said water chamber, an electric heating unit appurtenant to said Water chamber, and a compartment for treating shoes communicating with said chamber.

3. A Water chamber, means for automati cally preventing the lowering of the level of the water in said chamber, a compartment for treating shoes above said chamber, a partition of absorbent material. separating the chamber and the compartment, and in contact with the upper surface of the water in the chamber, and an electric heating unitin thermal communication with said water.

4. A chamber constructed and arranged for the generation of steam, a compartment for treating shoes above said chamber, and a partition'of absorbent material separating the chamber and the compartment, said partition being recessed to receive the portions of shoes to be treated.

5. A substantially open compartment c011- structed and arranged to receive a portion of a shoe for treatment, and means for supplying steam to said compartment and applying it to the shoe, the compartment being freely open at the top to afford a dissipating area for the steam after it leaves the vicinity of the treated portionof the shoe which is large in comparison with. the area of the toe of the shoe.

6. A support constructed and arranged to receive a shoe in an inverted position for treatment, means for applying vapor to the shoe, the treated portion of said shoe being closely inclosed by said means and the portion of the shoe not treated being uninclosed, and a shield constructed and arranged to protect said means from drafts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WALTER W. REED. 

